Guest Post: The Bugchasing Project

When most people think about going back to school for their PhD, there is a lot to consider. There’s the long hours, cold coffee, and painstaking research. When one goes back to school, it has to be a labor of true passion. That’s why when we found out about The Bugchasing Project, we were immediately intrigued.

The Bugchasing Project is studying what we at Treasure Island Media have been long enamored with: Hot, Viral, Loads.

Seriously, our hero Jaime Garcia-Iglesias is studying the desires and practices of “Bugchasers”. Many of you already know, but a Bugchaser is a man who seeks to contract HIV or otherwise fetishizes the virus. Jaime reached out and asked for a little help with his project, we told him we’d be happy to help. Here’s a little more about the project from Jaime himself.

“Bugchasers, guys who fetishize and seek HIV, are censured by society and media, who portray them as dangerous psychos or ignorant men who don’t know enough about HIV. I think there’s more to bugchasing than just ignorance or disease, something worth researching. This is why The Bugchasing Project exists, to explore bugchasing desires and practices, learn more about bugchasers’ opinions and experiences and challenge uninformed narratives in the media.

This project is part of my PhD research and will take around three years. As part of the project, I am looking to interview bugchasers. These can be men who get hard thinking about poz cum but do not wish to be infected in real life, guys who actually chase HIV, guys who managed to get infected, and anybody else who feels somehow excited by the thought of being pozzed. The interviews are completely anonymous and confidential, take place over Skype (with video or voice only). They are an informal and friendly opportunity for us to exchange opinions, ideas and experiences in a non-judgmental space.

I have already interviewed men from the US, UK, Australia, France and Germany. Some were young guys on PrEP who just jerk off to pozzing scenes, others are going out every weekend to cruise for high-viral loads, many were neg but some were already poz. If you want to share more about your opinions, hear about other people’s stories and help my work, get in touch!”

If you’re interested in helping with this project, you can reach Jamie via twitter or email.